The US Department of Defense said Tuesday it was aware of the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries inside Ukraine, following the attempted rebellion in Russia this weekend.
The information was advanced by the Pentagon spokesman, Pat Ryder, at a press conference, who refused to link the US military aid to Ukraine, announced on Tuesday, of 500 million dollars (458 million euros), with the attempt of the rebellion of the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the political and military leadership of Russia.
“There are no ties or connections or value changes [da ajuda que vai para a Ucrânia] based on what happened in Russia,” said Pat Ryder, reiterating that the US kept lines of communication with Russia open during Prigozhin’s attempted rebellion on Saturday, though Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had no contact. with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu.
After postponing the rebellion after both sides reached an agreement, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Wagner’s mercenaries three options: return home, go into exile in Belarus, or sign a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry or security agencies of another country.
Prigozhin is currently in Belarus, Belarusian President Alexandr Lukashenko, who acted as a mediator during the crisis, confirmed on Tuesday.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, denied on Monday any involvement of the West and NATO in this attempted rebellion and stressed that the United States will continue to support Ukraine in defending against the Russian invasion.
Source: TSF
